Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity Program (NUPAO)

Childcare Active Living and Healthy Eating

Childcare providers are in a unique position to support and facilitate healthy eating and promote physical activity in young children. Feeding nutritious food everyday must be accompanied by offering appropriate daily physical activity and play time for the healthy physical, social, and emotional development of infants and young children. The early care and education setting is an ideal environment to foster the goal of providing supervised, age-appropriate physical activity during the critical years of growth when health habits and patterns are being developed for life. The overall benefits of practicing healthy eating patterns, while being physically active daily are significant. Physical, social, and emotional habits are developed during the early years and continue into adulthood; thus these habits can be improved in early childhood to prevent and reduce obesity and a range of chronic diseases. Active play and supervised structured physical activities promote healthy weight, improved overall fitness, including mental health, improved bone development, cardiovascular health, and development of social skills.

Let's Move! Child CareA new initiative through Let's Move to work with child care providers and parents to help get our youngest children off to the healthiest start. Visit the Healthy Kids Healthy Future website.

Empower Program
Through the Empower Program the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) is working with childcare homes and centers statewide to promote "10 ways to Empower Children to Live Healthier Lives". Visit our TheEmpowerPack.org website for more information.

New Child Care Champions for Change Video Series
The ADHS Bureau of Nutrition and Physical Activity is pleased to present the new Childcare Champions for Change video series created in partnership with the Office of Child Care Licensing and the Office of Children with Special Health Care Needs. These videos support both the Empower Program and the center rules by providing guidance in child care support of breastfeeding, infant nutrition, family style meals, and physical activity.

Any documents contained on this Web site that are translations from original text written in English are unofficial and not binding on this state or a political subdivision of this state. To learn about how ADHS collects information about website users, please review our Website Privacy Policy.Los documentos que son traducciones al Español y que se encuentran en esta página Web no tienen validez oficial ni legal en este Estado o en alguna entidad politica del mismo.